Companion Animal Parasite Council Appoints New Executive Director

BEL AIR, Md. (July 6, 2011) – Christopher Carpenter, DVM, MBA, has joined the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) as executive director of the not-for-profit parasite education foundation. Before joining CAPC, Dr. Carpenter spent 10 years at Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca marketing medical devices and pharmaceutical products to various human health professionals, such as oncologists, ophthalmologists, cardiologists, orthopedic surgeons and primary care practitioners. Most recently, he served as group director at Vistakon, a division of Johnson & Johnson, where he was responsible for all professional marketing associated with the Acuvue brand of contact lenses in the North American Region.

Prior to his experience in the human medical industry, Dr. Carpenter served as a marketing manager at Pfizer Animal Health. During this time, he was part of the Revolution launch team, where he was responsible for the professional marketing associated with that product’s introduction.

Early in his career, Dr. Carpenter practiced small animal medicine and later served as a southeast regional manager for PetSmart Veterinary Services, one of the early corporate veterinary practices. He also served as a captain in the United States Army Veterinary Corps during the first Gulf War.

Dr. Carpenter received his Bachelor of Science in microbiology from the University of Florida, his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Auburn University and his MBA from Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester. “Dr. Carpenter has both the technical background and the practical veterinary experience that are critically important in his new role as executive director of CAPC,” says Dr. Dwight Bowman, CAPC president. “His ability to work with different stakeholders to build consensus, strategic planning skills and organizational management experience will be invaluable in helping the Council address newchallenges and opportunities as it heads into its second decade.”

Dr. Carpenter is the second executive director in the nearly 10-year existence of the Companion Animal Parasite Council and is responsible for overall strategic planning, direction and management of the foundation. He will continue the Council’s efforts to educate the veterinary community and pet owners about zoonotic parasite infections and the importance of year-round parasite prevention.

The Companion Animal Parasite Council (http://www.capcvet.org) is an independent not-for-profit foundation comprised of parasitologists, veterinarians, medical, public health and other professionals that provides information for the optimal control of internal and external parasites that threaten the health of pets and people. Formed in 2002, the CAPC works to help veterinary professionals and pet owners develop the best practices in parasite management that protect pets from parasitic infections and reduce the risk of zoonotic parasite transmission.